The Darkness Is Deceiving
by noxinvictal
Summary: He thought she was just another victim, until he found out she was so much more...
1. Awakening

As I watched her for the umpteenth night in a row, I decided that now was the time.

I slipped soundlessly I through her open window to stand by her bed. As I grazed her arm with my icy fingers, she did not flinch or stir. Instead, without warning, she turned to grab my arm.

"I've been waiting for you," she whispered.

Recovering from my slight shock immediately, I said, "Let's go."

"Leave so I can change first."

I did as was requested, and scaled down the tree of which I'd been perched earlier.

I waited patiently as she changed, I could barely hear her above. She was surprisingly lithe. For a human. I watched the back door expecting her to appear there, but instead heard a soft hiss from above.

"Catch me," was all the warning she gave before jumping.

I set her gently on the ground. As she righted herself I was slightly taken aback. She was beautiful. But not the tall, blonde, ditzy, type-cast beautiful. An irregular, almost awkward sort of beautiful.

Her dark brown - almost black - hair framed her delicate face. The way her ruby lips Contrasted on her porcelain skin was almost… dare I say it… vampire-like. Yet one thing was off. Her eyes, never had I seen such brilliant green eyes. So hopeful and full of life. Yet seemingly sly and perceptive. So different than the black or crimson of a Vampires.

She danced away in the moonlight, humming an unrecognizable tune. Completely unaware of her own beauty. Only then did I realize what she was wearing. A black dress, torn up and vintage. Clearly passed on from a past generation, and reserved for a special occasion.

I hoped to god she realized soon that this was not the occasion she had so obviously hoped for.

She wanted to be one of us. To be graceful and exotic. Poetry in motion. Looked up to, but always from a distance, for people were wary to get too close. I knew she must admire what she thought of as a blessing. She yearned to be immortal, dreamed about becoming a stalker of the night, and trickster by day. How she had figured out what I was, I had no clue. Little girl must have done her research. Unfortunately for her, research could not save her now.


	2. Lily of the Night

_Her scream cut through the night like a knife. As my teeth broke through her delicate skin, her blood pulsated and rushed out of the wound. Her eyes glazed over and she sank into me. I did not care for her. I did not care if she lived or died. I was numb to all feeling, other than the hunger. It filled my body. Overtook my mind. I was losing control._

Her whisper shook me from my reverie.

"Are you okay?" Her forehead was creased with worry.

I nodded and she danced away, so easily reassured. I scrutinized her every move. I almost felt guilty for choosing her. This was new. Why was she making me feel this way? Her. A mere teenage girl. My favourite prey, for they were always so lively, so willing to believe. I had just pictured myself taking her. But when I tried to think of it again, all I could see were her eyes. The vibrant green was planted into my memory after the first glance.

She looked coyly over her shoulder and beckoned with one finger. I followed reluctantly. I wasn't so sure I could do this anymore. I couldn't very well turn her, but there weren't many options, I mean the coven would be outraged if they found out someone knew about us. Or me at least.

We had been walking for a while and were now heading down a back alley. How cliché. A man forcing a woman down a back alley. Predator stalking prey. Although in this case, it was a woman leading a man down a back alley. Prey baiting predator. This situation was beginning to twist in unpleasant ways.

I would have to tell her that… well I wasn't sure what I would have to tell her. That I was going to kill her because she knew what I was? Ugh. The problems always happened to revolve around me. Not Neil or Dean. Nooo, God forbid they ever had issues.

She leaned against the grimy wall and swept her thick locks over her shoulder, revealing the smooth, succulent skin of her neck.

"Your Jace Davis. I see you around school."

"Your Lily Savage. I see you when you sleep."

Lilly laughed. "Well actually it's Lilith but close enough."

"Lilith… Hmm… Did your mom know what your name meant went she named you?"

"Yes. At least, that's what she tells me. She says she wanted my name to be original, and I guess she thought a name that meant 'of the night' would be sufficient."

"So…" desperate to keep her mind off the topic at hand, I asked a question I really wanted the answer to. "How did you know?"

"Well I admit, you almost had me fooled. I wondered why you could just carry on around humans as if you were just the same as them. It took me months to notice that every time you looked sick or tired, you struck up a conversation with a girl you had probably never even looked twice at before. The next day the girl would end up home sick. I thought and thought, until I realized that you lured the girls into hanging out after school. Which really isn't fair, as I'm sure you could bribe the principal into a dinner date if you liked. You were feeding on them. They became your nourishment. I'm still not sure why the girls didn't turn after you'd bitten them, or why they did not seem to remember what had happened. All I knew was that they ended up at home that night and were to weak, or 'sick', to show up at school.

"By then I knew what you were. The only thing that bothered me was that I was never chosen. Not by you, or your two friends either."

"Ah." I acknowledged. So she did know about Neil and Dean. Crap. This complicated things even more. I avoided tying up the loose ends in her story by asking another question. "Why would I want to take the principal out to dinner?"

"Ha! I just meant that you are _really_ persuasive."

"I don't mean to be." I really was puzzled. I never intentionally swayed people to see things my way. Did I?

"That's just it. You're always so sincere. No one ever thinks twice about doubting you. Oh and one more thing. You see, you're quite breathtaking."

"Breathtaking? How so?"

"Well, your just so unbelievably attractive. Brad Pitt has nothing on you."

"Spoken like a true girl," I chuckled. "So there were many victims of my persuasion."

"Yes. But you never tried to entice me and I must admit. I always wish I had been a victim."

Lily spoke this sentence like every other. Nothing significant about it. Eight innocent words. Eight tiny, little, nothing words. She had no idea that this line had a double meaning.

It was amazing how much eight little words could shake you.


	3. A Plan

"Why not?" Lily whined.

"I can't just run around turning people!"

"But I'm not people. I'm one person. Singular." Her eyes widened, begging me.

"One person can make all the difference in the world." I countered.

She stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.

"Making faces isn't going to change my mind," I glanced away indifferently.

"Alright Jace, what's my other option then? Death? No thanks."

I didn't laugh. This was serious. I didn't want to kill her. And I couldn't just take her as a familiar, someone who would satisfy my hunger. Even if the venom did alter her memory of tonight, it wouldn't help. I was sure Lily had her theories and discoveries documented somewhere. She would have the same knowledge as before, and when she couldn't remember what happened, it wouldn't be long before she put two and two together. If only…

"How good are you at acting?" I asked suddenly, startling Lily. Her eyes flashed.

"Didn't you think I was sleeping earlier?"

"Ah, good point. Well then, you would be able to go on pretending as though we never met tonight?"

"Definitely," she nodded, her hair shining in the moonlight. "I won't talk, wave, or even glance twice in your direction at school."

"Thank you. I know it seems a little extreme, but if Dean saw us having a longer than two word conversation, he'd know something was up."

"So maybe if we take it slow, eventually we could converse like normal human beings? Or -sorry- human being and Vampire?'

"Maybe," I shrugged, not wanting to make any promises. It was impossible for me to picture us walking down the halls together. Something that was all too easy for her to imagine, I realized.

I looked at Lily, who was deep in thought. Her eyes were unfocused and she was biting her lip distractedly. It was oddly alluring, the little habits she had. I'd noticed a few over the past weeks. The way she blew her hair impatiently out of her face when she was trying to concentrate. The way she twisted the ring on her finger when she was bored. Or the way she always opened her window at night, inviting someone -or something- inside. I knew it wasn't just these miniscule tendencies that drew me to her. It was something much bigger. Like a moth to a flame, a woman to shoes, or a raven attracted to lustrous objects. I felt pulled to her the moment I laid eyes on her, but had attempted to stifle my urges. I thought that if I choked back my feelings for long enough they would just disappear. But the last fortnight had brought round a fresh wave of desire. It would be much harder now that we had spoken to control myself. I just wanted to be near her. Maybe if we just accidentally got partnered together in a few classes, no one would notice, not even Dean.

She started to make her way home, still in her state of absorption, and I in mine. We continued in silence until we reached her house. "He-hem," I made a sad attempt at clearing my throat casually.

Lily looked round at me like she had only just discovered I was there.

"I can't go in through the door, it'll wake up my mom."

"Not a problem," I replied and swept her legs from under her, cradling her with my other arm. Her fingers entwined around my neck, and within two seconds we were back in her room. Placing her on her feet, as earlier, she stood and waited for me to leave. I made for the window and was halfway out when I rushed silently back across the room to kiss her swiftly on the cheek.

I was gone before she could even blink.


	4. Race Me

"Hey, man, where were you last night?" Neil was draped across the couch channel surfing.

"I was just checking out the new family that just moved to town."

"Anything?"

"Nah," I shook my head. "regular dullsville people."

"Damn, I was looking forward to a change of scenery." Neil flicked off the television, and stood up. "I've been wondering if you were gonna tell me about that girl anytime soon."

"What girl?" Shit. I thought I'd covered all my tracks.

"You know… that Tammy chick, the one in your science class."

I sighed in relief. Neil had had his eye on her and wanted me to see if she worth it. Lily was still safe. "Yah, she seems tasty enough. I'd say go for it."

"Thanks. Hey, you seen Dean anywhere?" Neil asked.

I shook my head. Dean was rarely seen at night. He simply disappeared. No one had any clue where he went. Then again, no one really had the right to ask. Dean was the oldest of us three, and therefore had the right to vanish whenever he felt like it. Neil and I were part of the 'new generation' as Dean called it. He had found me dumped in the ditch two months before finding Neil tied to a tree.

We three had bonded immediately, and stayed together. Dean took us back to his coven who approved of him taking us under his wing. The Elders of the coven were also known as the respected Mayor Bates of Devils Lake, the head curator of the local museum, Jacquelyn Frost, the founder of the Helping Hands charity, Melissa De Hart, and Evelyn Montoya, the coveted dean of Devils Lake Institute of Technology (yes, there were many ghost stories circling our town.). The Coven likes to take up powerful positions, and help out Devils Lake in what may seem like small ways, but really keep the town in check.

"Okay, whatever. I guess I'll see you in class man." Neil said.

"You going in early?"

"Yah I wanna see how Tammy's going to work out. I wouldn't mind having a little snack tonight."

"See yah later." I nodded at Neil as he headed out the door. I waited until I heard his tires squeal and rotate until they found grip on the slick asphalt. I headed out to the garage and mounted my motorcycle. I Flicked up the kickstand with my toe, and leaped on to the sport bike. Stamping down on the kick-start, I sped out of the barely open garage door, and headed down the familiar course to Lily's house.

Stopping just before turning onto her street, I cut the engine and waited for her to leave. Finally, she appeared outside and headed for her shiny new Mercedes. A gift from her father no doubt. I wasn't sure of the whole story, but I thought I got the main picture. Mom and Dad divorced, she moved with Mom who got the short end of the stick, while Dad stayed in the house with all the money and most of the possessions.

Lily was at her car and had her hand in her bag, rifling through, and searching for her keys. She opened her door and fumbled with her keys, dropping them. She bent down to retrieve them, and as straightened up, her head smacked painfully against the roof of her car.

"DAMMIT!" I laughed. I didn't have to have hyper-hearing to register what she had yelled.

I started up my ride, and cut around her so close my finger couldn't have fit between the two vehicles. I watched her flinch in my rearview mirror. I flashed a smile in her direction, and watched her expression change as she realized it was me. Lily revved her engine and nearly nudged my back tire. Laughing, I raced her all the way to school. Lily and I separated at the parking lot, and I parked my bike in the spot that was always left clear for me. It wasn't technically reserved, but none of the students dared park in my spot.

I headed into math, and slid silently into one of the only empty seats. Just as I suspected, the other few students who arrived after me, avoided occupying the empty desk next to mine. Even thought Lily and I had sped to school, there was no way she would be on time. She never was, it was like a disease. An always-be-late disease. Lily appeared in the doorway, and sat down next to me. I sent her a quick smile, and she raised and eyebrow. I shook my head slightly. We would not be able to talk yet. A smile was enough contact for the day.


	5. Noct Archaeo

Come in.

A sign perched in Lily's window displayed these words. I chuckled to myself. I was officially invited. This allowed me to come and go as I pleased. See, technically, Vampires had to be invited into a residence. We did have one neutral zone though, the room that was on the side of which the sun set.

Luckily enough for me, that was Lily's room. Now I was free to roam the house. Not that I was planning to come over for a play-date anytime soon.

I slipped in once more through the window, but instead of waking her up, I took a look around Lily's room. Her double bed was pushed against the wall opposite the window, her delicate shape just a small lump under the black comforter adorned with a gray print of bats. The green closet doors were flung open, revealing a messy array of unique and varying clothes. A sea of shoes was on the bottom of the closet.

A wooden desk was pushed into an alcove beside the bed. Above the unorganized writing perch, the walls of the cut out were covered, absolutely covered with photos, posters, old movie tickets, sketches, crumpled and un-crumpled pieces of paper with poems and quotes scribbled on them. I gaped at the photos of caves, bats, abandoned mansions and cemeteries. Photo shopped pictures of Lily with fangs, or featured as an abandoned prey of a vampire flashed in front of my eyes. Her skill with the camera was astonishing.

I tore myself away from the collage, and turned to the other side of the room. I stood in front of a wall of books. Literally. One giant oak shelf hid the wall from view. Art books, comedies, sci-fi, non-fiction, fantasy and horrors. Rows upon rows of horrors and hundreds of books about Vampires. Some fictional, some historical. One in particular caught my eye. A worn leather-bound publication, with multiple creases along the spine from years of study. I gently slid it out from between a book of poetry, and a heavy textbook. It rested on my palm and the ancient binding fell with no resistance to a page marked with a length of black silk ribbon. The page depicted a ceremony where a man was holding a woman's limp body in his arms. Blood ran down her neck and stained the corners of the man's mouth.

My eyes widened as they scrolled across the title, "Noct Archaeo". Of course, I thought to myself, Lily _would _interested in the ancient ceremony of the night. It was the traditional act of bonding a vampire to their victim forever, and the casualty would be transformed. I read the Latin text;

_To be forever bonded with a Vampyre, one must be taken in a Ceremony of the night. Drained of every last drop of blood, the human shall drink from the Vampyre's blood, replenishing their system the salutiferous prospects of the solvent. Only in completing this ritual may a human be bonded to a Vampyre for eternity. One may be changed by drinking from the Vampyre, but if he or she still has their own blood circulating in their veins, no bond or connection will be made. Do not carelessly give your being or take a being. If one side is unwilling, things may go awry._

I made to turn the page when I heard Lily stir behind me. One second later, the book was closed, on the shelf and I was standing next to her bed.

Sleepily, Lily opened her eyes and stretched.

"Good morning," she barely managed to get out through her yawn.

"Morning sleeping beauty," I chuckled.

"Ew, yah right. I snore louder than my Uncle. And that's saying something."

"Really? I haven't heard yet."

"Good, you don't want to."

I couldn't help from smiling. She always did that to me. Damn girl made me smile. What if I didn't want to smile? I doubted that I really had a choice.

"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" Lily continued, her eyes flickering to the book shelf.

I debated telling Lily about what I had found out, but decided against it. I wasn't ready to discuss it just yet. Or ever.

"I have something in mind." I said, grabbing the black knitted blanket tossed over the back of her desk chair. I pulled her out of bed and toward the window. She dug her feet into the carpet.

"Don't I get to change first?" Lily objected.

I turned and looked her up and down.

"No." I said simply.

"Goddamn. We better not be in public."

"Not exactly."

Lily raised an eyebrow. I raised one right back.

"Fine. Let's go."

I carried her in my arms to the ground below. We walked in silence for a while, I lead the way. I enjoyed being with her. The quiet was comforting. Not that it lasted very long.

"I found out why the girls didn't turn once you'd bitten them."

"Why then?" I sighed. Why had I thought we could avoid the topic? Why would I make such a foolish wish?

"Because…" She looked down. It wasn't like Lily to be ashamed.

"Are you disgusted by me?"

Her eyes immediately widened and locked with mine.

"Of course not! I just thought you might be angry at me for finding out more about you."

"No I'm not." I took in a breath. "Well maybe a little. But only because I'm supposed to be a well kept secret." I added hurriedly, seeing her forehead crease slightly.

"Ok good." She smiled brilliantly.

"We're almost there," I added, happy to be off the dreadful subject.

"Don't you want to hear my theory?" Lily asked. So much for getting off the topic.

"Not even a little." I mumbled.

Lily either did not hear this, or did not care, for she carried on.

"It's because they didn't drink your blood."

"Where did you find that out?" I played along, but didn't pretend like she was wrong.

"In a book I found."

"Do you still have this book?"

"No. I was looking at it at a thrift store, but when I went back to look at it again, it was gone."

Yes, I thought, and safely on your own bookshelf. I had to give it to her though, she was a talented liar.

"This is it." I gestured with one hand, the other still held the blanket.

"The Cemetery?" Lily looked at the wrought iron gates skeptically.

I nodded. "Yes the cemetery. Why? Not scared right?"

"Pfft. Of course not," she shook her dark locks. "How are we getting in?"

"Over that." I glanced to the gate and laughed as Lily took a test jump at the fence.

"You may be capable of jumping twelve feet, but others of us aren't so gifted."

"Give me your foot." I linked my fingers together forming a sort of stirrup.

She gingerly placed her foot in my hands and I boosted her to the top of the gate. She hoisted her thin body up, swung her legs over the top, and dropped lightly to the ground on the other side. I vaulted over as well, and came to stand by her side.

"This way," I lead her over the grassy lawns, weaving my way through ivy covered tombstones. When I reached the top of a bare hill, I spread out the blanket and beckoned for Lily to sit beside me. As she sat down next me, she grabbed my hand tight. I was about to pull away, but thought that it couldn't really hurt.

We laid back on the blankets, and gazed at the star spattered sky. I knew Lily was bursting with questions to ask me, but something about the fiery jewels, suspended in the charcoal sea seemed to calm her.

The calm covered us like a blanket and we stared at the sky, our fingers entwined.


End file.
